International Affairs

January 19, 2018

The euro, Brussels, and the Russian bear

  The government of Poland is part of the new surge of populism, openly defying the European Union on numerous policy fronts and rebuffing calls for an “ever-closer union.” So, why did its prime minister recently raise the possibility of adopting the euro? Continue Reading...

January 16, 2018

The 2 things that can help Africans prosper

For too long, the West’s policy toward Africa could be summed up in two words: foreign aid. Somehow, temporary funds transfers – many of which never reach their recipient country and end up in the pockets of well-connected Western professionals – would solve structural development issues. Continue Reading...

January 15, 2018

The 3 reasons Martin Luther King Jr. rejected Communism

Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the United States, but the civil rights leader is a figure of worldwide significance. He learned the principles of non-violence from those resisting the British empire, received the Nobel Peace Prize in Stockholm, and is one of the “twentieth century martyrs” whose statue sits atop the great west door of Westminster Cathedral (alongside Maximilian Kolbe, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and others). Continue Reading...

January 12, 2018

Tweeting the abyss: Explaining Nietzsche in 140 characters (or less)

While trying to teach the most consequential thoughts of West civilization to undergraduates, C. Ivan Spencer hit upon a unique idea: What if they were written in tweets instead of tomes? Continue Reading...

January 09, 2018

The minimum wage is speeding the robot apocalypse?

Intellectuals like Stephen Hawking and Elon Musk increasingly worry about an apocalyptic world awaiting in the not-too-distant future, when automation replaces all human work (and, in time, artificial intelligence displaces humanity). Continue Reading...

January 08, 2018

How Green economics left the West out in the cold

As they shiver through the season, this frosty winter reminds Americans and Europeans how much they have in common. However, more and more Europeans find themselves out in the cold thanks to environmentalist policies that have caused too many to be unable to afford adequate home heating this winter. Continue Reading...

January 05, 2018

What’s behind the EU triggering Article 7 against Poland?

For the first time in its history, the EU has invoked Article 7, a provision of its constitution intended to censure and punish a member nation for violating European values. Just before Christmas, the European Commission took the first step in the process against Poland over a series of laws taken by the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) that it says threatens the independence of the judiciary. Continue Reading...